INXS facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about INXS COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning INXS Rock group Few rock bands have achieved the success and longevity that INXS has enjoyed. All six original members recorded and performed together for more than 20 years before the death of singer Michael Hutchence on November 22, 1997. And even that tragic event was not enough to stop the group's momentum; after auditioning a new lead vocalist on a reality show, INXS bounced back with a new release in 2005. Beginning in Australia, INXS released several albums before making a splash in the United States in 1983. From then on, they shot up the charts with singles like "The One Thing," "Original Sin" and "What You Need," before launching into astounding worldwide sales and recognition with their 1988 release Kick. With this album they swept the charts, received many awards, and completed a 16-month worldwide tour. "We seemed to be around the corner every month in America, it was hard to ignore us," singer Michael Hutchence told Glenn A. Baker in Billboard.

Following Kick's success, rumors of a breakup began to circulate. Although the band did experience some difficulties as a result of their overwhelming success, they relied on their relationship as friends to keep them together. INXS was one of the few bands to emerge into rock stardom in the 1980s and survive into the late 1990s. They attributed their stability to a competitive air of democracy and the ability to keep each other grounded in reality. Keyboard player Andrew Farriss and singer Michael Hutchence met in high school in Sydney, Australia. Farriss broke up a fight between Hutchence and a school bully, and the two budding musicians became fast friends. Hutchence, whose father was an Australian importer, grew up in Sydney, as well as in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, California. His mother had taken him to L.A. when his parents split up. "I spent most of my time in the States by myself, writing prose, poems, and stories," Hutchence told Edwin Morris in Seventeen. "I came back home with a large collection of things." Andrew Farriss had two brothers, Tim and Jon, who were also aspiring musicians.

While the Farriss brothers were growing up in Perth, Australia, Tim Farriss began taking guitar lessons at the age of eight. When he was 13 years old the family moved to Sydney. Tim and guitarist/saxophone player Kirk Pengilly met and played in a band together. At the time, they attended Forest High School, where they met bassist Garry Gary Beers. Hutchence, Andrew, and drummer Jon Farriss attended Davidson High School. Started as the Farriss Brothers By 1977 Tim Farriss and Kirk Pengilly's band had broken up. They decided to form a band with Andrew and Jon, Beers, and Hutchence, called the Farriss Brothers. According to INXS legend, the band formed on the night Elvis Presley died. "The day I left school was the day I left home was the day I joined the band," Hutchence recalled to Nina Malkin in Mademoiselle. The following year the Farriss Brothers moved to Perth, where they wrote songs, rehearsed, and performed in local hotels and mining towns. After ten months they returned to Sydney, where their performances grabbed the attention of Garry Morris, who managed the Australian band Midnight Oil.

Morris began working with them and was the first to suggest that they change the name of the band. Although Morris decided to devote the majority of his time to Midnight Oil, the Farriss Brothers had also met booking agent C.M. Murphy. At the time, Murphy was in the process of starting an independent record label called Deluxe Records, which had a distribution deal with RCA. Murphy agreed that the band's name needed to be changed. "Our record company suggested 'In Excess,'" Tim Farriss told Steve Dougherty in People. The group liked the idea, but shortened it to INXS. Sparked Interest in Australia On September 1, 1979, INXS made its performing debut at the Oceanview Hotel in Toukley, Australia. The following May the group released its first single, "Simple Simon/We Are the Vegetables" on Deluxe Records. In October of 1980 they released their self-titled debut album in Australia, which included the single "Just Keep Walking." The band embarked on a 300-show tour throughout Australia to promote the album. A year later they released their second album, Underneath the Colors, which climbed to the Top 15 on the Australian charts.

For the Record … Members include Garry Gary Beers, bass; Andrew Farriss, keyboards; Jon Farriss, drums; Tim Farriss, guitar; Michael Hutchence (died on November 22, 1997), vocals; Kirk Pengilly, guitar, saxophone; J.D. Fortune (replaced Hutchence, 2005), vocals. Band formed in Sydney, Australia, 1977; signed with Australian label Deluxe Records, 1979; released self-titled debut in Australia, 1980; signed with WEA Records in Australia, released Shabooh Shoobah, 1982; signed North American recording contract with Atlantic Records, 1983; released multi-platinum album Kick, 1988; released four more albums on Atlantic, 1990–93; signed with Mercury/Polygram Records, 1993; released two more albums, 1994–97; continued touring after death of lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997; auditioned new singer on Rock Star: INXS and released album Switch with new vocalist J.D.

Fortune, 2005. Addresses: Record company—Sony/BMG, 550 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022. Website—INXS Official Website: In April of 1982 Andrew Farriss, Hutchence, and Pengilly went on a "pilgrimage" to England and the United States. Armed with a tape of their music, they set out to spread the word on INXS. They signed a new contract with WEA Records in Australia in July of the same year, and their next release, Shabooh Shoobah, reached the Top Five on the Australian charts. By the following January they had signed a North American record contract with Atlantic Records. Reached Out to Global Audience They debuted in the United States with the single "The One Thing," which quickly climbed to the Top 30 on the Billboard charts. The video went into high rotation on MTV, and INXS had begun to make their mark in America. Atlantic re-released Shabooh Shoobah in the United States to wide acclaim.

David Fricke wrote in Rolling Stone, "Most of Shabooh Shoobah, the group's American debut, is both novel in approach and stirring in execution." After the album's release, INXS began a marathon U.S. tour. They played their first New York City headlining show at The Ritz in May of 1983. From there they went to the Us Festival in California, where they received two encore calls from over 300,000 attendees. Atlantic released a mini-LP in August called Dekadance, with remixes of four songs from Shabooh Shoobah. Meanwhile the band continued to receive attention in their homeland. Their "Original Sin" single reached number one on the Australian charts in January of 1984. The Swing was released in May of that year and included the singles "Burn for You" and "Melting in the Sun." It reached double-platinum sales in Australia and became one of the top five selling albums in Australian music history. INXS also received seven Countdown Awards (Australia's version of the Grammy Awards), more than any other group had ever received. The band's success also began to spread to the rest of the world.

They performed their debut show in London, England, at The Astoria. In the meantime, Atlantic re-released their earlier albums INXS and Underneath the Colors in the United States. In September of 1984 INXS became the first international rock band to play in Guam. In July of 1985 the band's Sydney performance for the Live Aid benefit concert was broadcast worldwide. Despite the group's growing popularity, they continued their intense recording and touring schedules. In October of 1985 they released Listen Like Thieves, and its first single, "This Time." By the end of the year they had taken off on their first headlining tour in the United States. After the hit single "What You Need" was released the following January, Listen Like Thieves reached gold status in the America and eventually went platinum. In May of 1986 INXS performed their "If You Got It, Shake It" world tour. Kicked into High Gear They went on to headline the "Australian Made" tour of their home country with eight other Australian bands. Three days before the release of Kick, INXS returned to the United States for the "Calling All Nations" tour.

In January of 1988 Kick was certified gold and platinum at the same time, and eventually sold ten million copies worldwide. The single "Need You Tonight" became the band's first number one song on the U.S. charts. The home video Kick—The Video Flick also had platinum sales. All three of the subsequent singles from Kick—"Devil Inside," "New Sensation," and "Never Tear Us Apart"—reached Billboard's Top Ten. INXS swept the MTV Video Music Awards in September of 1988 with five awards for the "Need You Tonight/Mediate" video. In January the group received its first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Group. After 16 months of touring and overwhelming success, the members decided to take a break from each other to pursue their own projects, and rumors began to fly about the band's demise. But in November of 1989 INXS began rehearsals for their next album, X. Released in 1990, the LP was named for the band's tenth anniversary of recording. The single "Suicide Blonde" hit the Top Ten on charts around the world, and X went double-platinum in both the United States and Australia.

"We've had this Three Musketeers, or Six Musketeers, attitude for so long, and it's still very strong," Hutchence said in Billboard. "There's never any talk or any question of ever replacing anybody or changing anything." In 1991 INXS received another Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Performance by a Group." USA Today reported that the band tied for second place in the list of musical artists with the most videos played on MTV. At the time, they had 37 different clips. On tour, INXS became the first international rock band to play in Mexico since the Doors had performed there nearly 20 years before. In March of 1991, INXS won BPI Awards in Britain for Best International Band, and Hutchence was awarded Best International Male Vocalist. They also received the award for Best International Band at the first Australian Music Awards. Before the end of the year, INXS released a live album and video titled Live Baby Live. Subjected to Post-Peak Gravity INXS's next release, Welcome to Wherever You Are, began to mark the group's downward slope from the success of Kick.

Its sales fell just short of the platinum mark—a huge success for some bands, but nowhere near the popularity previously achieved by the band. Yet the group was not discouraged. They released Full Moon, Dirty Hearts in 1993, which included two duets for Hutchence: "Please (You've Got That …)" with veteran singer Ray Charles and "Full Moon, Dirty Hearts" with Chrissie Hynde of the rock band the Pretenders. INXS also made a video album to accompany Full Moon, Dirty Hearts, and nine film directors contributed to the project for the 12 songs on the album. It was showcased on MTV, Australia's Channel Nine, and in selected movie theaters. By 1994 INXS had switched record labels from Atlantic to Mercury/Polygram. They released a greatest hits album simply titled INXS: The Greatest Hits, with the addition of two new songs. The band took another long break before releasing their next effort, Elegantly Wasted, in 1997. The release received some criticism for continuing in the band's 1980s style.

In the band's record company biography, Andrew Farriss admitted that their musical style had not progressed: "Some of it could be us 12, 13 years ago!" But he added that "to keep changing just because you think you have to is not necessarily a good thing." Some critics commented that the group never fit into the musical fashion of their time. They called them "ahead of their time" and "dated" all in the same few paragraphs. "I don't think we've ever fit in," Hutchence said in the band's bio. "Maybe it's a generational thing. Or maybe it's because there's always been the six of us, pulling in six different directions." A Tragic Ending On November 22, 1997, INXS received an unexpected shock. Singer Hutchence had committed suicide in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia. The band had gathered in their hometown to begin rehearsals for their 20th anniversary tour. "Michael was the consummate rock star," Australian rock historian Glenn A. Baker told the Associated Press. "He floated above the pressures.

Why he would choose this moment to throw in the towel I think will always remain a mystery." INXS had plowed through records and tours for 20 years, cemented by the relationships of its six members. At the time of Hutchence's death, they weren't quite at the peak of popularity they had achieved in the late 1980s, but they were still one of the world's top live draws. INXS limped on, with vocalist Terence Trent D'Arby fronting the band for a 1999 tour and Jon Stephens filling Hutchence's spot for some appearances in the early 2000s before departing to go solo. In 2005 the band made the controversial decision to seek out a new frontman via auditions on a U.S. reality television show. Rock Star: INXS was broadcast on the CBS network in the summer of 2005. "We figured our old fans would be pissed off, but, in the end, we finally had great rock and roll on television, and someone had to come along and knock that American Idol crap out of the way," Tim Farriss explained to Michael Molenda of Guitar Player.

On September 20, 2005, INXS took on new lead vocalist, J.D. Fortune, formerly a radio operator in Canada's armed forces. The revitalized band signed with the Epic label and released the album Switch. Critical and fan consensus held that Hutchence could never really be replaced, but Matt Collar of All Music Guide conceded that "vocally, Fortune does match some of Hutchence's deep soul leanings, although he's more leaden and doesn't have any of the higher-end, blue-eyed soul that was Hutchence's trademark." With Switch rising to number 17 on Billboard's album chart, the durable group that was INXS seemed not to have reached the end of its run. Selected discography Bee Gees | Bee Gees Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The Gibb brothers were born in Douglas on the Isle of Man to bandleader and drummer Hugh Gibb, and his wife Barbara Gibb; Barry Alan Crompton Gibb on 1 September 1946, and fraternal twins Robin Hugh Gibb and Maurice Ernest Gibb on 22 December 1949.

The family returned to father Hugh Gibb's home town of Chorlton cum Hardy, Manchester, England, in the early 1950s where the boys began to sing in harmony, debuting in public on one memorable occasion at the local Gaumont cinema. The boys were going to lip sync to a record, which other children had done at the cinema in previous weeks. However, as they were running to get there, Maurice dropped the record on the street, causing it to break. As a result, the brothers got on stage and sang themselves. They got a very good response from the crowd, which convinced them that singing was what they wanted to do with their lives. In 1958, the Gibb family, including infant brother Andy (born 5 March 1958 in Manchester, England), emigrated to Redcliffe in Queensland, Australia. The still very young brothers began performing where they could to raise pocket change. First called the Rattlesnakes, later Wee Johnny Hayes & the Bluecats, they were introduced to radio DJ Bill Gates by racetrack promoter Bill Goode (who saw them perform at Brisbane's Speedway Circuit).

Gates renamed them the "Bee Gees" after his and Goode's initials – thus the name was not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb". [1] [2] By 1960, the Bee Gees were featured on television shows, and in the next few years began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast. Barry drew the attention of Australian star Col Joye for his songwriting, and Joye helped the boys get a record deal with Festival Records in 1963 under the name "Bee Gees." The three released two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists. A minor hit in 1965, "Wine and Women," led to the group's first LP The Bee Gee's Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs . By late 1966, the family decided to return to England, and seek their musical fortunes there. They were not confident, however, of success in England as Barry told a friend, Colin Stead, later of Lloyds World, that they would be back next year.

While at sea in January, 1967, they heard that "Spicks and Specks", a song they had recorded in 1966, had gone to #1 in Australia. Late 60's - First Fame Edit Before their departure from Australia to their native England, Hugh Gibb sent demos to Brian Epstein who managed The Beatles and was director of NEMS, a British music store and promoter. Brian Epstein had given the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood who recently joined NEMS. After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967, The Bee Gees were signed to a five-year contract where Polydor Records would be the Bee Gees' record label in the U.K. and Atco Records would be the U.S. distributor. Work quickly began on their first international LP and Robert Stigwood launched a huge promotion to coincide with their first album. Stigwood proclaimed that The Bee Gees were "The Most Significant New Talent Of 1967" and thus began the immediate comparison to The Beatles. Their first single, New York Mining Disaster 1941 , was issued to radio station DJs with a blank white label with only the song title.

Many DJs immediately assumed this was a new Beatles single and started playing the song in heavy rotation. This helped the song climb into the Top 20 in both the U.K. and the U.S. Only later did they realize that it was not The Beatles but in fact The Bee Gees, when their second single was released, To Love Somebody and again climbed into the Top 20 in the U.S. Originally written for Otis Redding, "To Love Somebody" was a soulful ballad sung by Barry, which has now become a pop standard covered by hundreds of artists such as Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin, The Animals, Nina Simone, and Michael Bolton just to name a few. Another single, Holiday was released in the U.S. and peaked at #16. The parent album, Bee Gees 1st was one of the first debut albums in the rock era entirely written by the artists themselves. "Bee Gees 1st" peaked at #7 in the U.S. and #8 in the U.K.

Following the success of "Bee Gees 1st", the band, (which now consisted of Barry on rhythm guitar, Maurice on bass, Vince Melouney on lead guitar and Colin Petersen on drums) began work on their second album. Released in late 1967, Horizontal repeated the success of their first album, which contained the #1 U.K. (#11 U.S.) single Massachusetts and the #7 U.K. single World . The sound of the album "Horizontal" had a more rock sound than their previous release, though ballads like "And The Sun Will Shine" and "Really And Sincerely" are standouts. "Horizontal" made the Top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at #12 in the U.S. and #16 in the U.K. To promote the album, The Bee Gees made their first appearances in America playing live concerts and television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and Laugh In. Two more singles followed in early 1968, the ballad Words (#15 U.S., #8 U.K.) and the double A-sided single Jumbo b/w The Singer Sang His Song .

"Jumbo" was the Bee Gees least successful single to date only reaching #57 in the U.S., but managing to climb to #25 in the U.K. The Bee Gees felt that "The Singer Sang His Song" was the stronger of the two and in fact reached #3 in The Netherlands. The year 1968 saw The Bee Gees reach the American Top Ten with the singles I've Gotta Get a Message to You (#8 U.S., #1 U.K.) and I Started A Joke (#6 U.S.) which were culled from the band's third album Idea , which was another Top 20 album in the U.S. (#17) and the U.K. (#4). Following the tour and TV special to promote "Idea", Vince Melouney left the group feeling that he wanted to play more of a blues style music than the Gibbs were writing. Melouney did achieve one feat while with the Bee Gees, as his composition "Such A Shame" (from Idea) is the only song, on any Bee Gees album, not written by a Gibb brother.

By 1969, the cracks began to show within the group as Robin began to feel that Robert Stigwood had been favoring Barry as the leader of the group. They began to record their next album, which was to be a concept album called "Masterpeace", which evolved into the double-album Odessa . Most rock critics feel this is the best Bee Gees album of the 60's, with it's progressive rock feel on the title track and along side other genres on music as heard on "Marley Purt Drive" and "Give Your Best", both country-flavored tunes, and signature ballads such as "Melody Fair" and First Of May , which became the only single from the album. Robin, feeling that the flipside, "Lamplight" should have been the A-Side, quit the group in mid-1969 and launching a solo career which saw brief success in Europe with the #2 hit "Saved By The Bell" and the album Robin's Reign . Barry & Maurice continued as The Bee Gees, even recruiting their sister Leslie to appear with them on stage.

The first of many Bee Gees compilations, Best of Bee Gees was released featuring the non-LP singles Words and the new single Tomorrow, Tomorrow which was a moderate hit in the U.K. reaching #23, but stalling at #54 in the U.S. The album itself sold very well and reached the Top Ten in both the U.S. and the U.K. While Robin was off on his own, Barry, Maurice & Colin continued on as The Bee Gees recording their next album, Cucumber Castle . There was also a TV special filmed to accompany the album, which was aired on the BBC in 1971. Colin Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album, but was fired from the group after filming began and his parts were edited out of the final cut of the film. The leadoff single, Don't Forget to Remember was a big hit in the U.K. reaching #2, but was a disappointment in the U.S. only reaching #73.

The next 2 singles, (I.O.I.O) and (If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else) barely scraped the charts and following the release of the album, Barry and Maurice parted ways and it seemed that The Bee Gees were finished. Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release, though a single, "I'll Kiss Your Memory" was released without much interest. Maurice also recorded during this time, released the single "Railroad" and starred in West End theatre musical "Sing A Rude Song". Early 1970s Edit three brothers reunited in the later part of 1970 , their feelings about the split perhaps reflected in many songs about heartache and loneliness. Although they had lost traction on the British charts, the Bee Gees hit #3 in America with "Lonely Days" (from the reunion LP 2 Years On ) and had their first U.S. #1 with " How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? " (from Trafalgar ). The trio's talents were included in the soundtrack for the 1971 film Melody as they performed several songs for the title.

In 1972, they hit #16 with "Run to Me" from the LP To Whom It May Concern ; the single also returned them to the British top ten for the first time in three years. By 1973, however, the Bee Gees were in a rut. The album, Life in a Tin Can , and its lead-off single, "Saw a New Morning," sold poorly with the single peaking at #94. This was followed by an unreleased album (known as A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants). On the advice of Ahmet Ertegün of their U.S. label Atlantic Records , Stigwood arranged for the group to record with famed soul music producer Arif Mardin . The resulting LP, Mr. Natural , included few ballads and foreshadowed the R&B direction of the rest of their career. But when it too failed to attract much interest, Mardin encouraged them to work with the soul music style. The brothers attempted to assemble a live stage band that could replicate their studio sound. Lead guitarist Alan Kendall had come on board in 1971, but did not have much to do until Mr. Natural.

For that album, they added drummer Dennis Bryon, and they later added ex- Strawbs keyboard player Blue Weaver, completing the late 1970s "Bee Gees band". Maurice, who had previously performed on piano, guitar, organ, mellotron, and bass guitar, as well as exotica like mandolin and Moog, now confined himself to bass onstage. At Eric Clapton 's suggestion, the brothers relocated to Miami, Florida, early in 1975 to record. After starting off with ballads, they eventually heeded the urging of Mardin and Stigwood and crafted more rhythmic disco songs like " Jive Talkin' " and " Nights on Broadway ." The latter featured Barry Gibb's first attempts at singing falsetto , in the backing vocals toward the end (There may be some question to this, however, as Maurice clearly sings the falsetto parts on "Nights On Broadway" in at least 2 live versions of the song from 1975: and Barry is shown singing the falsetto in another version from that year: ).

The band liked the resulting new sound, and this time the public agreed, sending the LP Main Course , which became their first R&B album, up the charts. Barry Gibb's falsetto would become a staple of subsequent recordings. Mardin was unable to work with the group afterwards, but the Bee Gees enlisted Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson who had worked with Mardin during the Main Course sessions. This production team would carry the Bee Gees through the rest of the 1970s. The next album, Children of the World , was drenched in Barry's newfound falsetto and Blue's synthesizer disco licks. Led off by the single " You Should Be Dancing ," it pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had not previously achieved in the USA, though their new R&B/disco sound was not as popular with some die hard fans from the 1960s. The Bee Gees' band was now closer to a rock act, with rhythm guitar and real drums behind the falsetto.

Late 1970s: Saturday Night Fever Edit Following a successful live album, Here at Last… The Bee Gees… Live, The Bee Gees agreed to participate in the creation of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack . It would be the turning point of their career. The cultural impact of both the film and the soundtrack was tremendous not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world, bringing the nascent disco scene into the mainstream. Three Bee Gees singles (" How Deep Is Your Love ", " Stayin' Alive ", and " Night Fever ") reached #1 in the United States and most countries around the world, launching the most popular period of the disco era. They also penned the song " If I Can't Have You " which became a #1 hit for Yvonne Elliman. Such was the popularity of Saturday Night Fever that two different versions of the song " More Than a Woman " received airplay, one by The Bee Gees, which was the B-side of "Stayin' Alive," and another by Tavares, which was the hit. The Gibb sound was inescapable.

During an eight-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977, the brothers wrote six songs that held the #1 position on the U.S. charts for 25 of 32 consecutive weeks-- three under their own name, two for brother Andy Gibb, and the Yvonne Elliman single. Fueled by the movie's success, the album broke multiple records, becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that point. Saturday Night Fever has since sold circa 40 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling soundtrack album of all time. During this era, Barry and Robin wrote "Emotion" for Samantha Sang, who made it a Top Ten hit (the Bee Gees sang back-up vocals). A year later, Barry wrote the title song to the movie version of the Broadway musical Grease for Frankie Valli to perform, which went to #1. At one time, five songs written by the brothers Gibb were in the U.S. top ten at the same time. It was the first time this kind of chart dominance had been seen since April 1964, when the Beatles had all five of the top-five American singles.

In 1978, Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four straight number one hits in the U.S.A, breaking the John Lennon and Paul McCartney 1964 record. These songs were "Stayin' Alive", "Love Is Thicker Than Water", "Night Fever", and "If I Can't Have You". In 1976, the Bee Gees recorded three Beatles cover songs - "Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Sun King" - for the transitory musical documentary All This and World War II. The three Bee Gees also co-starred with Peter Frampton in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) loosely inspired by the classic 1967 Beatles album. The film had been heavily promoted prior to release, and was expected to enjoy great commercial success. However, the disjointed film was savaged by the movie critics, and ignored by the public. "Spirits Having Flown", released in 1979, was the Bee Gees' best-selling album, surpassing the 20 million of copies sold.

During this period, the Bee Gees' younger brother Andy followed his older siblings into a music career, and enjoyed considerable success. Produced by Barry, Andy Gibb 's first three singles all topped the U.S. charts. The Bee Gees' follow-up to Saturday Night Fever was the Spirits Having Flown album. It yielded three more #1 hits: " Too Much Heaven ", " Tragedy ", and " Love You Inside Out ." This gave the act six consecutive #1 singles in America within a year and a half (a record surpassed only by Whitney Houston). "Too Much Heaven" ended up as the Bee Gees' musical contribution to the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in January 1979, a benefit organized by the Bee Gees, Robert Stigwood , and David Frost for UNICEF that was broadcast worldwide. The brothers donated the royalties from the song to the charity. The Bee Gees even had a country hit in 1979 with "Rest Your Love On Me", the flip side of their pop hit " Too Much Heaven ", written by Barry and made the Top 40 on the country charts.

In 1981, Conway Twitty took "Rest Your Love On Me" to the top of the Country charts. The Bee Gees' overwhelming success rose and fell with the disco bubble. By the end of 1979, disco was rapidly declining in popularity, and the backlash against disco put the Bee Gees' American career in a tailspin. Following their remarkable run from 1975–79, the act would have only one more top ten single in the U.S. and not until 1989. The Bee Gees' international popularity sustained somewhat less damage. 1980s and 1990s Edit In 1981, the Bee Gees released the album Living Eyes , but with the disco backlash still running strong, the album failed to make the US top 40. In 1983, the Bee Gees had greater success with the soundtrack to Staying Alive , the sequel to Saturday Night Fever . The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US, and included their Top 30 hit "Woman In You". Robin and Barry Gibb released various solo albums in the 1980s but only with sporadic and moderate chart success.

However, the brothers had continuing success behind the scenes, writing and producing for artists such as Barbra Streisand , Dionne Warwick , Diana Ross and Kenny Rogers , including Rogers' multi-million seller and U.S. #1 hit with Dolly Parton , " Islands in the Stream ". Songs were sometime written with a particular artist in mind such as "Celine Dion". Immortality was written with Celine in mind and at the end of the recording of the song the three brothers were visibly affected by the result especially Barry who was seen to be weeping with emotion. That's profound! The Bee Gees released the album E.S.P. in 1987, which sold over 3 million copies. The single "You Win Again" went to #1 in numerous countries, including Britain, but was a disappointment in the US, charting at #75. In 1983, The Bee Gees were sued by a Chicago songwriter, Ronald Selle, who claimed that the Gibb brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End," and used it in How Deep Is Your Love .

At first, The Bee Gees lost the case; one juror said that a factor in the jury's decision was the Gibbs' failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff's expert testimony that it was "impossible" for the two songs to have been written independently. However, the verdict was overturned a few months later. On March 10, 1988 , younger brother Andy died at the age 30 as a result of Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle due to a recent viral infection. His brothers acknowledge that Andy's past drug and alcohol use probably made his heart more susceptible to the ailment. Just before Andy's death, it was decided by the group that Andy would join them, which would have made the group a four piece. The Bee Gees' following album, One (1989), featured a song dedicated to Andy, "Wish You Were Here". The album also contained their first U.S. top ten hit (#7) in a decade, "One". After the album's release, they embarked on their first world tour in ten years.

Following their next album, High Civilization , which contained the UK top five hit "Secret Love," the Bee Gees went on a European tour. After the tour, Barry Gibb began to battle a serious back problem, which required surgery. In the early 1990s, Barry Gibb was not the only Bee Gee living with pain. Maurice had a serious drinking problem, which he had battled for many years, but finally conquered with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. In 1992, the brothers' father, Hugh Gibb, died. The Gibb family believes he died from a broken heart after losing Andy. In 1993, they released the album Size Isn't Everything , which contained the UK top five hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Four years later, they released the album Still Waters , which sold over four million copies, and debuted at #11 in the US. The album's first single, "Alone", gave them another UK Top 5 hit and a top 30 hit in the US. One Night Only Edit In late 1997, the Bee Gees performed a live concert in Las Vegas, called One Night Only .

The CD of the performance sold over 5 million copies. This led to a world tour of "One Night Only" concerts. The tour included playing to 56,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium on September 5 1998 and concluded in the newly-built Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia in March 1999. In 1998, the group's score for Saturday Night Fever was incorporated into a stage production produced first in the West End theatre|West End and then on Broadway. They wrote three new songs for the adaptation. The Bee Gees closed the decade with what turned out to be their last full-sized concert, known as BG2K, on December 31 1999 . Maurice's death Edit In 2001, they released what turned out to be their final album of new material as a group, This Is Where I Came In . The album gave each member a chance to write in his own way, as well as composing songs together.

For example, Maurice's compositions and leads are the "Man in the Middle" and "Walking on Air," while Robin contributed "Déjà Vu," "Promise the Earth," and "Embrace," and Barry contributed "Loose Talk Costs Lives," "Technicolour Dreams", and "Voice in the Wilderness". The other songs are collaborative in writing and vocals. The Bee Gees' last public live show together was Live by Request, a special shown on A&E. Maurice died suddenly on January 12, 2003 , from a strangulated intestine. Initially, his surviving brothers announced that they intended to carry on the name "Bee Gees" in his memory. But as time passed they decided to retire the group name, leaving it to represent the three brothers together. The same week Maurice died, Robin's solo album Magnet was released. Although there was talk of a memorial concert featuring both surviving brothers and invited guests, nothing materialized. [3] Since then Barry and Robin have continued to work independently and have both released recordings with other artists. After the Bee Gees Edit In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia.

During January 2005, Barry, Robin and several legendary rock artists recorded "Grief Never Grows Old," the official tsunami relief record for the Disasters Emergency Committee. Later that year, Barry reunited with Barbra Streisand for her top-selling album 'Guilty Pleasures], released as Guilty Too in the UK as a sequel album to the previous Guilty. Robin continued touring in Europe. In February 2006 Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute. It was their first public performance together since the death of brother Maurice. Barry and Robin also played at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on May 20, 2006 . Songwriting success Edit The Bee Gees have been incredibly successful, selling in excess of 180 million records and singles worldwide [4] . "How Deep Is Your Love" is their most popular composition, with over 400 versions by other artists in existence.

Their songs have been covered by singers of all stripes including Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Al Green, Eric Clapton, Lulu, Elton John, Tom Jones, and Nina Simone as well as newer acts like John Frusciante (who has been known to cover "How Deep Is Your Love" during Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts), and Feist singing a soulful "Love You Inside Out", Billy Corgan and Robert Smith covering "To Love Somebody", Steps and Destiny's Child.

Songs written by the Gibbs but better known through versions by other artists include, "Immortality" by Celine Dion, "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, "Chain Reaction" by Diana Ross,"Spicks and specks" by Status Quo , "Emotion" by Samantha Sang and Destiny's Child, "Come On Over", by Olivia Newton-John, "Warm Ride" by Graham Bonnet, "Guilty" and "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand, "Heartbreaker" by Dionne Warwick, "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, "Grease" by Frankie Valli, and "Only One Woman" by The Marbles. Many hit covers and album tracks of the Bee Gees' songs have been recorded, and the band's music has also been sampled by dozens of hip hop artists. Awards & Recognition Edit The Bee Gees were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 ; fittingly, the presenter of the award to "Britain's first family of harmony" [5] was Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, America's first family of rock harmony.

The Bee Gees were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001 as well as the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997. Grammy Awards 2004 Hall Of Fame Award - "Saturday Night Fever" Commemorative stamps Edit In October 1999 the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of 6 stamps honoring their native sons' music. The official launch took place at the London Palladium where the stage show of Saturday Night Fever was playing. A similar launch was held in New York shortly after to coincide with the show opening across the Atlantic. The songs depicted on the stamps are "Massachusetts", "Words", "I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive" and "Immortality". Discography For a discography of the Bee Gees, see Bee Gees discography . Studio Album chart performance The Maurice Gibb album track, " Man In The Middle " was #1 for three weeks in March , 2005 in the country of Turkey .

Limited edition Edit Ellan Vannin was recorded in 1997 as a 1,000 quantity limited edition single for Isle of Man charities. The song was featured in the Bee Gees World Tour and on ITV's "An Evening With…" but to date has not been released generally. The single was subsequently also available as part of the 1999 Bee Gees Stamp issue. Band Barry Gibb plays rhythm guitar. Robin Gibb does not play any instruments onstage, but plays piano, cello, and other instruments privately. Maurice Gibb played bass guitar, rhythm and lead guitar, piano, organ, mellotron, and electronic keyboards, synthesizers and drum tracks. From 1966 to 1972 he played multiple instruments on many records. During the late 1970s he played mainly bass guitar. From about 1986 onward he usually played keyboards.

These musicians were considered members of the band: Best Australian Bands - Top Ten List - TheTopTens® Best Australian Bands The Top Ten 1 AC/DC AC/DC are a Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014. They were fronted by Bon Scott until his untimely death due to alcohol poisoning in 1980, after which they hired Brian Johnson to ... read more . AC/DC's 1980 album Back In Black currently stands at the #2 all-time highest selling albums... Ever. Being that the #1 spot is occupied by an American, I would say this is good enough reason to convince anyone AC/DC is Australia's #1 band... Oh, they are also in the record books as Australia's #1 export, never fallen into the "where are they now" category, never had an album that didn't produce two or 3 chart makers, let alone have never had an album go out of print that became impossible to find for a while.

Not to mention, not many bands could compete with having created so many memorable and classic rock anthems and riffs. Even Deep Purple only have TWO of those, and most people don't even know Black Knight without hearing it. Yep. They're number 1 ozzie band. And they are still going strong. AC/DC are easily the best band to come out of Australia saw them live in Melbourne last february and there is nothing like it they are just simply amazing Back in Black is second highest selling album of all time and they have so many classic songs have to be #1 V 58 Comments 2 INXS INXS were an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. I Highly agree... their music mix of POP/FUNK/R&B/ROCK genres reached the most tastes of all music lovers worldwide and MH had one of the top 5 Rock Vocal ranges ever... I love AC/DC but have to categorize them as Hard/Heavy Metal Rock. For all that, I would have to put INXS at # 1!

Great band especially I love their song never tear us apart the music and the drummer plays very well I discovered INXS with the video of the song 'Need You Tonite' and never, ever stopped listening to them. Michael Hutchence was the best ever Rock singer to walk planet Earth. Great voice, sensuous - he had it all and and he left it all to soon. Every member of the band performs well. Their song 'Never Tear Us Apart' is one of the BEST rock ballads by a Rock Band. The band died with the death of Michael Hutchence. There never will be another! With their brand of rock music, appealing to a huge range of fans, I think INXS are Australia's number 1 band, respect to ACDC, they've been around longer and had huge hits, but I wonder if Hutchence was still around whether they would seriously compete for Australia's number 1 band. V 61 Comments 3 Little River Band Everybody's written about their songs, lyrics and muscianship... But for me they are well up there with CSNY and S&G as proponents of harmony singing. Simply flawless. Nothing beats them.. My girlfriend is Aussie and she loves them as much as I do..

I was in the army in the late 70s. I have only good memories of the hits the band had in those days. One Band that has had more line up changes than other band. Sadly there's no original members and Aussies left in the line up for LRB these days and totally based in the States. Had hits in Australia from 1975 to 1990. Two great lead singers in Glenn Shorrock and John Farnham. Over 22 million in albums sold world wide. But still underrated only can get studio albums on iTunes come by an LP Cassette or even a CD hang on to it! V 9 Comments 4 Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. ... I'm going to pretend "The Young Modern" never happened and vote Silverchair for best Australian band. Their music got me through tough times and let me know I wasn't the only that felt that way.

His voice is AMAZING, I hope they put out more albums cause I'm in love with that band. WE LOVE YOU SILVERCHAIR Silverchair is honestly my favorite bands of all time. They have so much passion and talent and sound amazing. From grunge, hard rock, alternative, rock, pop and indie, they are one of the greatest bands of all time. They were 16 and were playing on SNL and Letterman and hold the record for the most ARIA awards. They went on with big shows like Rock in Rio, Big Day Out, Rock AM Ring, MTV music awards and a ton more. But to be put on the spot and handle it so well, there just amazing Greatest Australian band in the modern era. V 17 Comments 5 Midnight Oil Midnight Oil are an Australian rock band, who originally performed as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie. Strongly think this band should be listed higher. A band can only be judged in its own time frame. Midnight Oil was hugely important in its time, and references to it and its songs are still being made in political and social circles.

Maybe not the highest in popular appeal, the Oils have to rank at the top in terms of musical content and body of work. Great lyrics, lots of albums, awesome in concert-what more could you ask for? Not only the best band from Australia, the best band of all time. Their music is the most compelling I've ever heard, even years after they officially packed it in. Never seems to age or be less than totally relevant and powerful. Couldn't pick a best album - at least six could fill that spot, and best song? Forget it, too many to count. Greatness is not based on popularity, it's based on greatness, and Midnight Oil are the greatest. Proper comments here - anyone who doesn't think the Oils are Number One on this list is sorely mistaken. Best songwriters, best musicians, best frontman, best live band, best everything. No one else is even close in terms of talent and vision, maybe Crowded House, but that is mainly due to Neil Finn alone. Matchless body of work. V 24 Comments 6 Crowded House If you take personal bias aside and take a band on a song-by-song basis, then no one comes even close to Crowded House.

Sure ACDC are an amazing rock band, Chisel have produced some power ballads, but Crowded House are the masters when it comes to writing a perfect song. Track for track of every album (pre reunion and latter efforts) is amazing. The combination of both Finn brothers on "Woodface" was huge and I do not think there is a single singer/songwriter to come out of Australia / New Zealand with the talent of Neil Finn. He and the band are amazing. They are without a doubt number 1. I absolutely love Crowded House, not only are they one of the best Aussie bands (I know Neil Finn is a Kiwi, but they're still overall Australian), I honestly think they are one of the best all-time bands. It's a rare occasion when you find a Best Of album where every song is not only recognisable but of the highest quality. This is literally my favourite band OF ALL TIME! I remember hearing Don't Dream It's Over on the radio when I was about 3 or 4-after Paul Hester died- and Crowded House has always been with me from that point.

I cannot think of anyone as consistently brilliant as Neil Finn and I just think that both he and Tim are seriously underrated in places like the UK and the US. On a song for song basis there is no band that has had so many brilliant songs, when a Crowded House best of is released it would probably be fairer to just rerelease every album. Also, taking personal opinion aside, where's cold chisel?... Not top 3? WHAT?! Neil Finn is Crowded House and he is a sublime talent. Master of melody and lyric. V 16 Comments 7 Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a pop music group formed in 1958. Their line-up consisted of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. One of the best bands ever. I always love their songs. They were one of the best musicians in their time. One of my dreams is being in one of their live concerts will never come true! Bee Gees are definitely an excellent music group, but whether they are classed as Australian I always ponder - yes they did live in Australia for a few years and started their career hear, many still question their true nationality.

Another one belonging right in the topmost 5 please check and rectify your records now! One of best groups ever. Love Barry Gibb. What a tragic family! V 14 Comments 8 Cold Chisel You have Cold Chisel WAY down the list from their rightful place in the top 5 when they are Australian Rock Royalty. It's like listing Led Zeppelin below Oasis on a British list. I mean what? This is a band that crosses generations with hit after hit. Even if you don't like them, you gotta be impressed with the song writing and amazing vocals of young Jimmy Barnes. This list loses all credibility with Cold Chisel down this low. Just go see a whole crowd of young kids raise their glass in the air and sing an entire Chisel song regardless of whether they own a single album.

Absolute joke leaving chisel out of the top 10 let alone the top 5, I mean these dudes were just so real and everything Australian culture is about, absolute legends and the voice of barnes is something that no country or other band will ever have, the uniqueness of this great aussie pub rock band is something that no body will ever be able to compare to, again absolute joke leaving them out of the top 10! If they aren't the best band Australia has produced, they're a close second to AC/DC... which is only because of worldwide popularity. Easily better than INXS and Crowded House, they are the definitive Aussie Rock band with most of their music being very cultural and nationally relevant. International fame is the one thing they lack, and should this list be judged on that? - paulvroc Definitely better than Crowded House V 33 Comments 9 Parkway Drive Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2015, Parkway Drive has released five full-length albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled Ten Years of Parkway Drive.

Parkway Drive are the most technically accomplished and musically enlightened metalcore band of the 21st century. They play fast ultra heavy style metal, but it is still music. Most modern metal/deathcore bands I have heard only want to be the loudest/fastest/most dissonant band and forget that they are meant to be making music. Just a personal note, Metalcore isn't really metal/punk at all. It is it's own genre. At least Parkway make some real metal. How is parkway drive not in the top 5 they are arguably the best metal core band in the world. The have the best growler I have ever heard and kick ass drumming and a awesome guitarist. Beast solos and epic intros what more could you want? One of the best bands alive and kicking, fast beats and massive breakdowns. I have never heard anything like them, plus Winston McCall brings the whole band up to a new level with hard vocals and big shouts. One of the best metal core bands of all time. There songs create a powerful atmosphere and have great meaning behind them. I cry to horizons... - Zoran945 ... read more .

Because they are one of the best Aussie bands that still have more to come. I love there songs because there are great quality and it doesn't matter if you are rocking out at the supermarket because you are listening to one of the greatest rock artist ever Joker and thief lyrics, voice is impressive Same as iTunesJunky they should be first or second Wolfmother aren't as good as ac/dc but I haven't even heard of half of these other. Their songs always have something new to them some are a bit like screamos but most aren't I respect all their songs even though joker and the thief is the only one that most have heard of I think at least they should be 3rd if not 4th. Should be way higher on this list. Joy what? V 11 Comments 12 Living End AMAZING BAND! Absolutely awesome to see live! Not to mention how incredible Chris Cheney is at playing guitar From great simple songs to insane ones like "Carry Me Home", The Living End has done it all! Bloody brilliant! How is this band not #1? Chris Cheney is one of the best guitar players there is, and there's nobody really like them.

Dynamic mixture of rock and roll, rockabilly and punk - and a great live act too V 5 Comments 13 The Easybeats Brilliant band, with loads of classics. To the person who said none of the members are Australian, just because they weren't born in Australia, doesn't mean they aren't Australian. Plus, Tony Cahill was actually born in Australia... A great Aussie band. Amazingly consistent and diverse catalogue. How they're this low, I don't know. Good lord this band has Australia's best songwriters and hit makers - why is it only in No 13? Great band with the greatest Australian song writers V 4 Comments 14 Men At Work All time best Australian Band Ever! They made Australia visible and popular to us "yanks" from the U.S. I absolutely loved this band and saw them twice when they came to the states and later got to actually meet Colin Hay up close and in person and shake his hand and get a photo with him! He is hilariously funny! Totally agree that this band should be at the top of this post! Down under was the best song, it was on kangaroo jack my favorite movie.

I'm from Canada, and honestly, if I can say that, it's because they were REALLY famous all over! Man, it cannot be that low on this list; please fix it! Can't believe Men At Work is not in the top ten? V 17 Comments 15 Powderfinger Greatest band ever, so much better than all the modern day music and so many great songs. I went to the Sunsets Farewell Tour, where Powderfinger and jet both played and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Bernard Fanning is amazing. I'm from the US and lived in Sydney for a year. This band had the greatest impact on me while I was there. Love the whole story... Sorta similar to Pearl Jam in my humble opinion. Great memories of these guys and their music. Bloody love this band to bits. 'Baby I've got you on my mind' just blows me away. I can't begin to imagine how much I've listened to their music and how much other people love them. Keep it up boys. I love Powderfinger!

V 13 Comments 16 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds I'm sorry but Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds needs to be in the top 10, simply the sophistication of their music places them above most of these bands. Into My Arms, Where the Wild Roses Grow, Are You The One That I Ve Been Waiting For, Do You Love Me? , The Ship Song, The Mercy Seat, Red Right Hand- are some of the best Australian songs ever This band should definitely be ranked in the top 10. If for no other reason than Red Right Hand. That song is pure genius! This band is absolutely genius. V 3 Comments 17 Divinyls You don't know what you've got till it's gone. The Divinyls had a magic full sound, great guitar and Chrissie's great vocals. Not to mention an awesome presence and performance on stage. What can separate the bands for me in the number of good to great songs. I can get about 15 to 20 with Divinyls but only 12 or so for AC/DC (most from Back in Black). The Divinyls are one of my favourite Australian bands.

Chrissy Amphlett was amazing in her schoolgirl uniform. Pleasure and Pain, I Touch Myself, Science Fiction, Boys in Town, I'll Make you Happy, Great rock n roll / new wave songs. Why aren't the divinyls here? They are way better than the Hoodoo Gurus! Pleasure and pain - what a great song V 3 Comments 18 Rose Tattoo I swear I started thinking that my browser search was not working when I did not find Rose Tattoo in the list. They are one of the most influential bands in Aussie rock history! - sumit Rose Tattoo NEVER TOO LOUD is easily the best Australian hard rock album in my opinion, every song is gold Yes these guys are top 10. Angry the only original member left. I have been to plenty of their gigs & Angry still sings with flat out passion. Saw them support Guns N' Roses, Angry sung with Axle "Nice Boys" mate, Axle sounded like a cat in heat compared to Angry. I think they turned down Angry's mike because his voice was so strong & showed up Axle. Rock n Roll is King.

19 really should easily be top 10 V 1 Comment 19 The Saints I loved their first two albums, so I went to see them live a few month ago and they were one of the worst bands I've ever seen. Shame! The first punk band formed before The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Ramones A really great band from the punk era. Come on, The Saints were pioneers of Punk, they should be in the top 5 at least V 1 Comment 20 Savage Garden Savage Garden were an Australian pop duo consisting of Darren Hayes as vocalist and Daniel Jones as instrumentalist. One of the best bands in Australia with their hits to The Moon And Back, I Knew I Loved You and Truly Madly Deeply. - ronluna This band should be on place 2-3, NOT 13! They may be a pretty old band, but they have great songs, such as Truly Madly Deeply and To the Moon and back. They were very popular 1997. Totally agree-whoever put this band below those few at the top went wrong somewhere-this band's sound in all songs are incredible-true art in the making!

Truly an injustice, should be higher up Australian rock music | australia.gov.au Australian rock music Baby Boomers Australian rock music Rennie Ellis (1940-2003), Angus Young, Los Angeles, 1978, colour photograph. Image courtesy of the Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive and the National Library of Australia: nla.pic-vn4103400. Australian rock music has its roots in the 1950s and '60s when the style of music was growing in popularity around the world. In the 1970s Australian rock bands became well known for classic hard rock. By the 1980s Australian music developed its own distinctive rock sound and became popular the world over. First appearing in the United States of America, rock music was a fusion of white country and western music with black rhythm and blues music. These days, rock music is harder to define. Over the years it has influenced and been influenced by many other styles – elements of pop, funk, folk and world music can all be heard in many songs that are classified as rock songs.

The first Australian rock 'n rollers In these early days, performers like Johnny O'Keefe and The Easybeats were easy to categorise as rockers, with songs such as Wild one, Shout and Friday on my mind mimicking the heavy-guitar sound and strong beat produced by rock performers in the USA and Britain. Johnny O'Keefe went on to become the first Australian artist to appear in the Australian Top 40 (Wild one), the first to be signed and record for an international label (US Liberty) and was the first rock and roll artist to host his own radio program (Rockville Junction on ABC Radio). The Easybeats, who met as immigrants at Sydney's Villawood Migrant Hostel in 1964, became famous worldwide. Other Australian rock bands to hit the big time during the 1960s and the 1970s included The Masters Apprentices, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Daddy Cool and Skyhooks. Classic Australian rock Jimmy Barnes onstage. Image courtesy of Cold Chisel. Cold Chisel formed in Adelaide in 1973 under the name of Orange.

Their music was characterised by meaningful lyrics, catchy tune and the aggressive singing style of their lead singer, Jimmy Barnes. One of their classic songs, Khe Sanh, tells the story of a Vietnam veteran and his struggles after the war. Cold Chisel is also responsible for many other Australian rock anthems. Perhaps the most internationally well known hard rock band Australia has produced is AC/DC. Formed in 1973, the band began with brothers Angus and Malcolm Young and Dave Evans. Although the band's lead singer Bon Scott died in 1980, AC/DC has lived on for over three decades, performing to packed halls and rapt fans around the world. They deliver no-nonsense, hard rock - the oddity being the school boy uniform worn by now legendary guitarist Angus Young. Intriguing Australian rock and the 1980s The 1980s was a decade when Australian rock gained confidence and world-wide attention.

Nick Cave, Melbourne musician and lead singer of alternative rock band The Bad Seeds, said that before the 1980s 'Australia still needed America or England to tell them what was good.' The 'Aussie Assault' on the world rock stage included bands such as Men At Work, Midnight Oil, INXS, Crowded House and New Zealand's Split Enz. Alternative Australian rock bands such as The Triffids, The Church, Hunters and Collectors, Celibate Rifles, The Saints and Laughing Clowns also contributed a great deal to the unique sound evolving in Australian music. 'The fickle European rock press devoured the unusual sounds and, intriguing lyrics that captured Australia's intimidating landscape' that belonged to The Triffids and other bands. The Triffids were big business in England, Holland, Germany, France and particularly Scandinavia, particularly with their album Born sandy devotional. In Belgium, they played to 70,000 fans. Midnight Oil, then one of the biggest names in Australia, was billed below the band.

Bernard Zuel wrote (Sydney Morning Herald, 26 Jun 2006); 'the band that was seen internationally as capturing the Australian landscape and personality better than anyone else couldn't get past the myopic radio and mainstream media back home'. A remastered Born sandy devotional described by Uncut magazine as 'a desolate masterpiece from one of the great lost bands of the 80's' was released in July 2006. In the 1980s, The Church, with their paisley shirts and catchy melodies, built a devoted fan base in both Europe and America. The commercial high point for The Church was in 1988 with the album Starfish and the single Under the Milky Way which was a hit in the USA, and sold more than a million copies. On the back of Starfish, The Church toured Europe and the US relentlessly. Australian band Men At Work were part of the worldwide popularity of Australian rock in the early 1980s, with their anthem Down under introducing listeners around the world to Vegemite sandwiches. Their sound was an interesting mix of styles, with a slight reggae beat, very Australian lyrics and the shrill sounds of a flute.

Other hits they produced included Who can it be now? and It's a mistake. Men At Work are still the only Australian artists with No.1 singles and albums in both America and England. Midnight Oil performing at a concert at the Orange Town Hall, November 1985. Photo by Ant Healy. Image courtesy of Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Hunters and Collectors carved a path and place for themselves in Australian rock culture as 'the thinking man's pub band'. Many of their songs, such as Throw your arms around me are Australian rock classics. Midnight Oil used rock music to tell a story and send a message. Songs such as Put down that weapon, Blue sky mining, Beds are burning and River runs red made popular music charts around the world. The band's lead singer Peter Garrett said, 'Rock and Roll has traditionally been about cars and girls and now we were... trying to make it about something else as well.' The band used music to raise awareness of environmental and political issues, often performing with Aboriginal rock bands such as Warumpi. INXS toured around the world, to huge crowds. Their lead singer Michael Hutchence had rock-star attitude, looks and a voice to match.

In Australia alone, over a period of 25 years, INXS had 38 Top 40 hits. On top of this they received Grammy nominations and MTV music awards in the USA, six consecutive top ten UK and US albums, 17 Billboard hits and 23 UK Top 40 songs. In 2005 they launched a worldwide search for a permanent new lead singer, replacing Michael Hutchence who died in 1997. Female led bands such as The Divinyls, The Baby Animals, Do-Re-Mi and more recently Spiderbait and Killing Heidi are also responsible for many Australian and international hits. Chrissie Amphlett, lead singer of The Divinyls said of the 1980s, 'You didn't have to be a really slick singer but you could develop your style. Everything was very possible again and it was raw... it was a really great period that bred a lot of creativity.' The new generation The lines where rock music ends and other styles begin is blurring today.

Bands like Regurgitator use heavy guitar and electronic music to create their own unique sound, while Yothu Yindi, who had hits in the 1990s, use traditional Aboriginal music and language as the basis for their songs. Janet from Spiderbait recording at Radio star studios in 2003. Image courtesy of Spiderbait. The new generation band Spiderbait had their first Australian number one hit in 2004. Black Betty, an African American work song first recorded in 1933, was later recorded by various artists including Ram Jam (1977), Nick Cave (1986) and Tom Jones (2002). Spiderbait's version has a fast beat and heavy guitar rock sound. Other bands such as Jet, Bodyrockers, Magic Dirt, Powderfinger and Jebediah are just a few of the latest batch of Aussie rock bands that are charting hits in the new millennium, many of them, like Spiderbait, coming back to the heavy rock sound that was forged in the 1970s and '80s. Useful links

Question: Which Australian group started their career in 1977 as The Ferris Brothers?
Answer: INXS